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Launching of Sputnik
Sputnik was the first man made satellite launched into space. It was little more than the size of a basketball and weighed 184 pounds. Sputnik was not equipped with any scientific instruments, but contained a single radio transmitter. -
Period: to
Space Race
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Sputnik II and Laika
Aboard the Soviet's Sputnik 2, Laika, a dog, became the very first living creature to enter orbit. However, since the Soviets did not create a re-entry plan, Laika died in space. -
First man-made object to hit the moon
Luna 2 is launched, impacting on the moon on September 13 carrying a copy of the Soviet coat of arms, and becoming the first man-made object to hit the moon. -
First human to enter and return from space safely
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, making a 108-minute orbital flight in his Vostok 1 spacecraft. -
Freedom 7
With the launch of Freedom 7, Alan Shepard becomes the first American man in space. The suborbital flight, which was part of the Mercury Project, lasted 15 minutes, 28 seconds. -
Kennedy makes an announcement
U.S. President John F. Kennedy announces the goal of sending astronauts to the moon before the end of the decade. -
First woman in space
Vostok 6 carries Soviet Cosmonaut Valentia Tereshkova, the first woman in space and orbits the Earth 48 times. -
First space walk
Edward White II makes the first U.S. space walk from Gemini 4. Duration is 22 minutes. -
First spaceflight death
Soviet Soyuz 1 is launched, carrying Vladimir M. Komarov. On April 24 it crashed, killing Komarov, it is the first spaceflight fatality. -
Apollo 7
Apollo 7 is the first manned Apollo mission with Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Donn F. Eisele, and Walter Cunningham. It orbited the earth once. -
First moonwalk
Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. make the first manned soft landing on the Moon, and the first moonwalk, using Apollo 11. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." -
Close call!
Apollo 13 is launched, suffering an explosion in its SM oxygen tanks. Its Moon landing is aborted, and the crew, James A. Lovell, Jr., John L. Swigert, Jr. and Fred W. Haise, Jr., return safely. -
Apollo 14; Success
Apollo 14 moon mission is launched by the U.S. with the legendary Alan Shepard, along with Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell on board. They explore with the help of a two-wheeled cart that permits the transport of a significantly greater quantity of lunar material than previous missions. Shepard becomes the first man to hit a golf ball on the moon. -
Moon rover
Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin drive the first moon rover. -
Apollo 17's return from the moon
Apollo 17 was the last Apollo mission to land men on the Moon. It carried the only trained geologist to walk on the lunar surface, lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt. Eugene Cernan, commander of Apollo 17, still holds the distinction of being the last man to walk on the Moon, as no humans have visited the Moon since December 14, 1972.
